Ancestors are a Beautiful Thing

Why do we love ancestors? They spark our memory. They inspire us. Some give us power; others give us identity. Who are these people who our lives sometimes follow?

According to artist Dennis Shelton, who conceived and curated an exhibition on the subject, an ancestor is anyone who influenced your life in a good way. In his case, it was his grandmother who gave him a sense of hopefulness.

To illustrate this, he asked friends to each celebrate an ancestor in a work of art.  The ancestor, he told them, should be someone who influenced their life. Many artists responded, and he curated the works into an exhibition at the Blue Door Art Center in Yonkers. Although the exhibition is long gone – it closed on March 1— the idea of paying tribute to ancestors is a strong demonstration of legacy. An ancestor may also be long gone, but their influence can be felt through a lifetime.

So, who are these ancestors? Evan Bishop, the new director of Yonkers Arts, participated in the exhibition, paying tribute to the continent of Africa, which he says has played an important theme throughout his life. The ancestors identified were diverse. Ken Davis paid tribute to three police officers who were the first Black men accepted into the Yonkers police force in 1925. To Ken, these men were role models, especially during the era in which they served.

When I talked to Evan Bishop, he turned the tables on me, and asked me who were my ancestors. Funny thing, I told him that my family came to America from a place called Munkács, which at the time was part of the Austrian Hungarian empire. I recently learned that Munkács is now part of Ukraine, although it was the home of many Hungarians. So, here’s the thing: you never know what you’re going to find out when you open the door of ancestry. You just might find out that you were a different person than you thought you were.

There’s always art and conversation at the Blue Door Art Center, located at 13 Riverdale Ave in Yonkers, NY.

Artwork: Evan Bishop, Beautiful Mind